About Sleep Poem by Venkateswaran Krishnan Sreenivasan

Rest, the sweet sauce of labor, an ancient bard sang
Yet how elusive is Morpheus, is the insomniac’s pang
Hurt mind’s balm, sleep confers the calm
To the agitated mind shaken by harm

Soft closer of the eyes, sleep enhances the tie
Between man and wife, the mother and the fry
Life’s each day’s death, yet alive with the breath
To kick start the next day’s life in health

Sore labor’s bath, sleep wipes away the wrath
From a heavy heart to light the righteous path
Great nature’s second course, the first course
For our stomachs is bountiful of course

Chief nourisher of life’s feast, not in the least
Vital for strength and peace for man and beast
Sleep knits up the raveled sleave of care
And restores calm by her veritable fare

The aged and the ailing, in mind unsound
Slug like and slouching, doth insomnia hound
With catnaps and daydreams the unending days pass
Struggling for a wink, restless they toss

Repose of all things, beggars or kings
To fly to dreamlands on reverie’s wings
Her tender lullaby nature sings
To wearied minds with toil’s stings

(With quotes from famous poems of Shakespeare and Keats)